INVEST IN CHARACTER

"My wife, Paula and I have found great enjoyment and satisfaction through our involvement with the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay (SVMB) Council of the Boy Scouts of America. "Back in the Day", I was a Cub Scout, and my older brother was a Boy Scout. I have great memories of my time in Scouting. In recent years, I have reconnected with scouting through our local SVMB council. I have truly enjoyed serving on our board, including two years as council President. Why do we support the Endowment? Why do we support our capital programs and other avenues for giving, such as through Friends of Scouting (FOS)? We know we are making a difference in the lives of our communities' youth. There is no program that is close to Scouts BSA in teaching the important lessons in character development, community awareness, and leadership skills. How can we not support the young men and women who will be our future leaders? They need our help, and we have made a commitment to do our part in providing that help. We hope you do, too."

"Donna has seen my passion for Scouting and came up with the idea of a deferred gift. My passion started in my early days as a Scout when my Scoutmaster made a turning point moment in my life. I was frustrated at not being able to advance and felt that I was not getting anywhere in Scouting. I tearfully thought about quitting. Sensing that something was wrong, my Scoutmaster took me aside to find out what was bothering me. He listened, understood, empathized, and told me so. He told me that it was not entirely my fault that I was not advancing. We then developed an action plan together to help me. He taught me how to plan and take initiative, how to communicate and set goals. He made it practical. By coincidence, his son was going to be my new patrol leader, and he spoke with him later so I could get some extra attention. I wish I could have video recorded the meeting. It was textbook perfect—the way an adult leader would counsel a troubled boy. Long story short: I eventually became an Eagle Scout, lodge chief, and Vigil Honor member. As a Scouter, I continue to be active today paying it forward, because of what my Scoutmaster did for me so many years ago. Scouting continues to impact my life. It helps me realize my full potential as a servant of God and encourages me to give through my time, talent, and treasure. The best leadership training I ever received has been from the BSA through its programs like National Youth Leadership Training, Wood Badge, and Order of the Arrow's National Leadership Seminar to name a few. I would not be who I am today without Scouting. Long after we have "gone home", we can still make a difference through our estate."

"Jan and I believe in the values enshrined in the scout oath and law. As a youth, I grew up one of eight children in a middle-class family in Cincinnati, Ohio. I was a scout since cub scouting, and I achieved the rank of Eagle scout. I eventually earned a PhD in engineering and started my own computer consulting company. I know that I would not have been able to all of this do this without the work ethic, confidence and leadership training I received in scouting. I learned in scouting that nothing of value comes easy. If you want to reach the top of the mountain, you have to sweat. If you want to make it through the rapids, you have to paddle. If you want to achieve Eagle, you have to plan, organize and lead. Scouting teaches all of this and more. Jan and I support scouting because we would like to see every young man and woman learn the values of the scout oath and law while having fun. Besides donating annually to the Friends of Scouting Campaign, we have become James E. West Fellows and we are members of the Second Century Society. We have also remembered scouting in our wills. Through our investment in scouting, we hope other young men and women will be able to become successful, ethical members of society."

"Legacy: an interconnection across time, with a need for those who have come before us and a responsibility to those who come behind. John and I believe that the BSA program has given so much to us as a family. It defined our activities as our child was growing up and continues to define our friends and the people we choose to call family because of the shared scouting values. We have always felt it is important to give back, in part because feel that we benefitted so much from gifts of those who came before. We started our giving in Friends of Scouting when our son was a scout. When we were starting out, we volunteered and gave what we could. We knew we needed to donate at least the amount it cost for our scout. Then we decided that wasn't actually giving, and we needed to give at least two scouts worth in order for it to count since our scout was using up the first amount. Then it was three scouts, then four. Now we are blessed to be able to do more and to give to the Endowment and Capital Campaigns as well as Friends of Scouting. We are happy to be able to share what we have to further the mission of an organization that we believe can help make the world a better place through youth development. We chose to transfer stocks to the Second Century Society/Endowment, Golden Eagle Campaigns and FOS. Giving the stocks benefits scouts and us. It allowed us to decrease our tax burden, which makes it easier to give more to a program we love."

"Don has been involved with youth organizations in and around his community for years. Scouting is particularly appealing to Don based on the results he sees with the programs Scouting offers. Don is in the construction business and is well known for supporting Eagle projects through his ready mix concrete business. Don and Barbara recognize the need to for strong youth programs that engage families with their children. Scouting in the Central Coast of California do just that. With their commitment of $500,000 to endowment, their efforts to provide youth programs in their community through Scouting will go on as they have envisioned."

"As I have aged, I recall my fondest memories of my youth from times with my Brother, Mom, and Dad in Scouting. I was fortunate to have seen much of the country when in Scouting as a teenager by attending a National Jamboree, five National Order of the Arrow events, and Philmont for four years. I recently, and unexpectedly, became a widower. The first words that rattled in my head after praying for my late wife were "seek to preserve a cheerful spirit, even in the midst of irksome tasks and weighty responsibilities": a key part of the Order of the Arrow's (Scouting's Honor Camping Society's) Oath. Although I love being a Dad, and it's rarely irksome, I realized that I now had the sole task of raising my five young children, and that my foundation from Scouting would carry me through by leaning on its principles. I also realized that I was mortal, and that every day was precious, and that sometimes there isn't a "tomorrow to do what needs to be done". I shortly afterwards amended my family trust to endow both Philmont and the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council with funds to carry the Scouting mission forward for others after my death. I vowed to give back to Scouting while I am living, becoming a donor multiple times for the James E. West Fellowship, by donating in honor of my family members, while also participating in the Friends of Scouting every year. Now that Scouting includes females, all of my children have the opportunity to have the experiences like I had as a Scout. No other youth program in America is as diverse and as deep as Scouting: so I am thrilled to support Scouting, and will do so with my time, talent, and other resources while living; and with my estate after my death."